Ambient Light Sensor System with Multi-Sensor Validation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ambient light sensors in electronic devices often produce erroneous readings due to external objects blocking the sensor, leading to inappropriate display adjustments.
Innovation Solution
The use of color ambient light sensors in an inactive border region of the display, combined with additional sensors like image sensors, force sensors, capacitive touch sensors, proximity sensors, and orientation sensors, to process ambient light measurements and discard unreliable readings, ensuring accurate ambient light information for display adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If ambient light sensors are used to detect lighting conditions for display adjustment, then display brightness control is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates when external objects block the sensor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sensors (ambient light sensors, image sensors, proximity sensors, capacitive touch sensors) to work together in determining display brightness. By merging data from these different sensor types, the system can distinguish between actual ambient light changes and sensor blockage, thereby maintaining measurement precision while preserving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary sensors (image sensors, proximity sensors) that act as mediators to verify the reliability of ambient light sensor readings. These intermediary sensors detect whether external objects are blocking the ambient light sensors, allowing the system to filter out erroneous readings while maintaining smooth display brightness control.
2Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are combined to verify ambient light readings, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes existing sensors serve multiple functions. Image sensors originally designed for photography are also used to detect ambient light conditions and verify sensor blockage. Proximity sensors serve both their original function of detecting nearby objects and the additional function of verifying ambient light sensor reliability, thereby reducing the need for dedicated components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own existing sensors (image sensors, proximity sensors, capacitive touch sensors) to verify and validate the ambient light sensor readings. Rather than requiring entirely new dedicated verification components, the device leverages its existing sensor infrastructure to improve measurement precision, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach provides reliable ambient light information by combining readings from multiple sources and discarding blocked sensor data, resulting in accurate display brightness and color adjustments based on actual ambient lighting conditions.
Implementation Method 1
Color ambient light sensors may make measurements of ambient light intensity and color through windows in an inactive border region of the display
Implementation Method 2
An image sensor may be located under a display window that is located between the windows associated with the color ambient light sensors
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device may be provided with a display mounted in a housing. Color ambient light sensors may make measurements of ambient light intensity and color through windows in an inactive border region of the display or other portions of the device. The electronic device may process the ambient light measurements based on ambient light information from the ambient light sensors and based on information from additional sensors such as an image sensor, a force sensor, a capacitive touch sensor, a proximity sensor, an orientation sensor, and other devices. Control circuitry in the electronic device may produce reliable ambient light measurements by combining readings from multiple reliable sources and by discarding readings from ambient light sensors that are blocked by a user's fingers or other external objects. Display color cast and intensity may be adjusted based on ambient light information.